Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 12-24-21

A Just King Is Born Matthew 2:1-12 (KJV)
The Scriptures
Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethle- hem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gath- ered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them dili-
gently what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they re- joiced with exceeding great joy.
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankin- cense and myrrh.
12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
Revelation From Outsiders (Matthew 2:1-3)
Jesus was born just a few years after the Second Temple in Jerusalem was completed. His mother Mary and her hus- band Joseph were from Nazareth, which was a little village near the Sea of Galilee, north of the big city Jerusalem. They had come to Bethlehem to be counted in Caesar Au- gustus’ census because Joseph’s family was from Bethlehem.
Matthew 1 traces Joseph’s lineage, which puts him firmly in the line of King David, and Jesus as the son of David born in the hometown of David. The Wise Men, also called Magi, were eastern experts in sacred texts and astrologers who were likely from the former Persian Empire. They were apparently familiar with Jewish traditions about the Messiah, and came to Jerusalem as men who did not know the Lord, but were interested in prophecies about the Savior King of the Jews. They were probably wealthy and influential, which is why they sought direction directly from King Herod to properly identify the Messiah and wor- ship Him.
The king and his subjects
were surprised that there was another king of the Jews they hadn’t heard about! This was the ultimate threat to King Herod. Influential foreigners knew about a Jewish prophesy that he was not aware of and had come to worship a new- born that was meant to take the throne of Judea from King Herod.
Information From Insiders (vv. 4–8)
Herod moves to get more in- formation and form a response to this news. This was Good News — Gospel for the world — but was taken as bad news for Herod and the elite. He gathers together the religious leaders in Jerusalem and in- quires of them. The question he asks was reasonable and shows something about the culture.
An expert in religious texts in that society could be ex- pected to know where the Messiah would be born. The average person would not be able to recall that kind of in- formation from casual study. The religious leaders inform him that the Messiah was sup- posed be born in Bethlehem.
But they also knew it be- cause the Messiah had to be
from the line of David, and David was raised in Bethle- hem. Then Herod goes and speaks privately with the Wise Men. He did not want his plan foiled or his ignorance exposed to any outsiders. He gathers more information about when the star they had followed arose. Then he tells them to go find the Messiah and let him know where he is. Herod was clearly trying to use the Wise Men to get to the newborn Savior.
The Savior At His Mother’s Side (vv. 9-12)
The Magi followed the star from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. The star led them right to the house where Mary was staying with her baby Jesus. They re- joiced to see the star rest over a particular place where they knew they would find the Sav- ior. Their hope was rewarded as they saw the child with his mother and they were able to worship Him as they desired.
They not only brought ges- tures of honor, but they also brought very expensive gifts. These wealthy and influential men bowed to worship the Son of a poor girl from an unpopu- lar village who was pregnant before she was married. We do not know how many wise men were there, but three gifts are described: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Frankincense and myrrh were both powerful per- fumes that were costly in Jesus’ day. Myrrh was more commonly used for burials and the other for anointing kings.
The Magi honored the Sav- ior King who was born to die for the sins of the world. They were influential outsiders who were some of the first people to recognize, humble them- selves, and worship the King of Israel. They represented — from the very beginning of the Gospel — that Jesus Christ was not simply Savior of the Jews, but the Savior of the world.
They could have gone from that place and followed Herod’s directions, which would have led to an attack on Jesus by Herod. But God was at work in the lives of these non–Jews. These religious outsiders, who did not have the background to follow God as the Jews did, were able to hear God clearly because they had humbled themselves to listen.
The Lord warned them in a dream not to return to Herod and so they went back to their own country another way, dis- obeying King Herod to protect the King of Kings.
PAGE 8-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2021